So how often have you promised yourself that you wouldn’t over-indulge over Christmas, only to end up feeling a wee bit bloated and regretful about that extra bit of pavlova that covertly found its way onto your plate?

Need a Christmas tonic to help settle an over-worked digestive system?

Look no further than the liquid gold!

FIRST UP - SOME SCIENCEY STUFF:

Bone broth is a nourishing brew that lovingly restores a damaged gut. Here is a little bit more of the science behind the goodness of broth…

Last week I was talking up our broth because it…

DOESN’T contain emulsifiers

DOES contain immunomodulatory amino acids

Here are a couple more gems about the liquid gold…

What IS NOT in broths

1) EXCESSIVE OMEGA-6 FATTY ACID – promotes inflammation

Small amounts of omega-6 fatty acids are an essential part of the human diet.

The average western diet contains around 15 times as much omega-6 as we need.

This promotes inflammation – which kick-starts a myriad of health problems.

Vegetable oils (ie canola, sunflower) are a common source of omega-6

Our bone broth only contains a tiny amount of omega-6.

The levels are naturally low in bone broths made from pastured, wild, or free-ranging animals. Grain-fed animals are higher in omega-6.

What IS in broths

2) BIOGENIC AMINES – reduces inflammation

Histamine (derived from dietary histidine – which is in our broth) is an important regulator of gut function.

Dietary histidine has been shown to reduce the symptoms of immune-mediated colitis (inflammation of the large intestine) in mice models.

Threonine (which is also in our broth) keeps the lining of the gut wall in good shape (vital for letting the good stuff in, and keep the bad stuff out of circulation). Dietary threonine has also been shown to reduce colitis in mice and pigs.

NEXT - SOME TASTY STUFF:

So how am I having my Christmas tonic this year?

I will be focusing on the FAT – which will fill me up with lasting energy, and help me absorb other nutrients from my food.

The fat in broth can be an acquired taste for some people – if you are not keen on the taste of drinking the fat – then keep it for cooking other things with. The fat will help you absorb some essential vitamins from your food (D, E, K and A).

Apart from drinking my broth straight, with a bit of salt and fish sauce, I am going to scrape some of that lovely, rich, ducky-chickeny fat off the top, and roast my veges in it! Here is a recipe idea…

Broth-Fat Roast Spuds

For more information about the importance of fat (and some amazing recipes), a team at AUT has just released ‘What The Fat?’ It would make a great Christmas gift for anyone interested in health and nutrition.